Wolf Warriors
by Jun-I
Summary: No one was born a victor. Even Kyuuzou was once a young novice who yearned to earn the respect of his senpai and prove his worth as a warrior. But as the Great War builds a brilliant soldier, it also breaks a child's innocence. A rewrite.
1. Prologue

**Notes:**

This is a companion fic to 'Retribution', in which the boy Kyuzo was trained in an all-female dojo. The people Kyuuzou refers to as his sisters are not his biological sisters. They are his Sensei's older students. Kyuuzou is 11 in this chapter. He had been studying with his Sensei for about a year. Ayame is 14, Mizuho is 18.

**Summary:** A young boy raised among female fighters is destined to be the perpetual outsider.

--

Awkward and silent, the young boy stood stonily in the courtyard, watching his dojo sisters welcome their friends. The visitors were two girls from a martial arts school in the next town. Kyuuzou did not quite know what to do around strangers, other than to observe them. But he was given something else to do soon enough.

"Ototo-chan! Bring some tea for the guests, will you?!!" Ayame and Mizuho called out to him and then promptly turned their attention back to their friends.

Dutifully, Kyuuzou brought the tea, receiving a cursory round of thanks from the four older fighters. No one thought to ask him to join the tea party. Young Kyuuzou sighed inaudibly. Was he doomed to hang out with girls for the rest of his life?

The girls of the dojo got along well each other but they weren't always very warm to him, or so Kyuuzou thought. Right now, his dojo sisters were completely ignoring him, engrossed as they were in their own little world. Ayame could be attentive to him at times, but only if there was no other more interesting company around, such as other girls. Kyuuzou perceived, rightly or not, that Third Sister only made the effort to be nice to him in order to make up for her past bullying. Second Sister Mizuho had always been kind, but then, she was courteous and warm to everyone. 'Little Sister' Kyuuzou was presently only an afterthought to his esteeme senpai.

He was not one of the girls, even if he wanted to be. On the other hand, Kyuuzou didn't really want to keep company with boys either - those he encountered his earlier life were mean to him, each unworthy of his respect. After all, it had been boys who had mocked his family. It had been boys who shoved him and hit him. But in turn, he had made them suffer for it.

He stayed a while and listened to their chatter as the visitors showed off the gains of their latest shopping trip.

"Look what I brought back from our Northland vacation!"

"Aahh....you bought that?"

"Waah... I like the pommel. Pretty!"

"Check out the blade."

"Oooooh... sharp!"

"Straight blade, double-edged ... I can hardly wait to practice more with this! Cuts both ways! Think 'maximum damage'!"

"They don't make too many of these locally nowadays."

"But they did in the ancient past. Back then, swords were straight-bladed, double-edged..."

"So they were. You can cosplay an ancient warrior queen then! Haha!"

"We were practicing with a couple of maidens in the Northlands. One of them was also a double sword fighter. But she used swords like this - straight-bladed, double-edged. Dang! She was cool to watch! Almost got me a couple of times."

Teenage maidens and their shopping, socializing and weapons obsession! Kyuuzou silently rolled his eyes and retreated out of the living room. Nobody acknowledged his departure. Was he destined to be the perpetual outsider? Always looking in on this strange world of closely-knit fighters but never truly part of it?


	2. The Way of Ashura

**Notes:**

Kyuuzou is 12 in this chapter. He had been studying with his Sensei for about two years. Ayame is 15, Mizuho is 19 and Haruko is 27. (same age as Kanbei in the Retribution universe) This is not Kyuuzou's first 'battle'. He had killed before. See Chapter 10 of Retribution.

**Summary:** Young Kyuuzou's first real battle does not go as well as he hoped.

--

_Kyuuzou 1st Person:_

Mizuho senpai had been making trips away from Mount Kei'an often over the past two months. Sometimes Second Sister was leave for a week at a time, sometimes only for a couple of days. I knew, as before, that after Mizuho's intelligence gathering was done, my three senpai would disappear together again. So I watched my seniors carefully day after day. This time, I would go with them, whether they wanted my company or not.

One morning, three of them left the house just before dawn. I followed my sisters when they went down the mountain. If they sensed my presence, they gave no indication of it. But I was sure they did not know that I was there. I had already figured out their hearing range and made sure I stayed beyond it. For a long, long time they walked, keeping among the forest trees. No one could see us from the road. My legs were shorter than theirs but I managed not to lose track of my seniors. Hunger was beginning to gnaw at my insides, but my sisters were not stopping. I had brought some food from the kitchen with me. So I comforted myself with the thought that I would get to eat, sooner or later.

The senior students halted when they came to the cliff overlooking Kuroki Village. I stopped a safe distance behind them, keeping myself hidden behind a big rock. My sisters pull masks over their faces, then they sat down and waited in complete silence. For a while, nothing happened.

I was about to quietly help myself to the rice cake I took from the kitchen when they all dropped to the ground. Seeing my seniors' attention fully focused on what lay ahead, I became bolder and approached behind them, close enough to hear their low voices.

"My sources say this mechanized unit is the 3rd platoon of the 25th battalion.." Mizuho whispered, "They razed Iwase Village on their last tour... Were never disciplined for it. A few low-ranking officers and privates were court-martialed for abusing civilians. But in actuality, the whole platoon was involved. Yet no one ranking higher than sergeant was charged. Eventually, the charges were all dismissed because of 'lack of evidence' ... people were too terrified to testify. The platoon leader, a Red Spider with the rank of lieutenant, was never charged. I would guess the problem lies higher up, beyond the platoon level."

"Unfortunately, we'll have to save 'higher up' for another day." Haruko said grimly. "Or perhaps that is a job for a better-placed cell."

"It begins." whispered Ayame. I heard the screams of terrified people. I crept closer to the cliff edge, climbing onto a boulder so that I could see what my sisters were seeing. Those mechas that my sisters called tea kettles were flying over the heads of fleeing villagers, firing their guns. People were falling left and right.

"Hurry! We have to do something!" My youngest senpai hissed. "Can we attack now?"

Haruko sounded surprisingly unmoved, "We are three against many. Wait for an opening."

More people fell. I glanced once more at my senpai. Ayame did not seem as calm as Haruko. I could tell, from Third Sister's slightly shaking shoulders, that she was upset. I too might have been trembling at the sight of the Yakans chasing after the fleeing peasant women. One of the machines stretched out its arm to grab a woman with pale pink hair. The villager, finding herself suddenly lifted 3 feet off the ground, screamed with terror.

It was then I noticed the Mizuho was gone. She was not with Haruko and Ayame anymore. Where was Second Sister? As the Yakan moved away from the main body of its comrades, carrying the pink-haired woman with him, a few arrows hissed out of nowhere. The Yakan lost its levity.

"Good job, Mizu!" Haruko heaved a sigh of relief when the Yakan hit the ground and the peasant fell beside it, stunned but alive.

Then she turned to Third Sister. "Now, Ayame, find your position. Can you shoot that man without injuring the woman?"

Third Sister left First Siste, scampering nimbly along the edge of the cliff to find a new position. I turned my eyes in the direction where Ayame's bow was trained. A Yakan pilot had gotten out of his tea kettle and wrested a peasant woman to the ground. The peasant struggled. I saw Ayame's bow hand tremble. I heard the twang of the bow, the whistle of the arrow flying through the air to find its mark. Ayame's arrow Went right through the Yakan pilot. The man collapsed. But the peasant woman also stopped moving.

"Did I...?" Ayame turned towards Haruko. My 15-year-old sister's eyes were wide with horror.

"We'll know later," Haruko drew her own bow. "Keep shooting."

My sisters' arrows whizzed left and right. Yakans fell one after another. Now their leader, a Red Spider, turned its head in our direction. I felt a creeping sense of terror.

"Scatter!" commanded Haruko. Both she and Ayame zipped off in opposite directions and took cover behind boulders. I wondered where Mizuho was. At that moment, the Red Spider turned its attention back to the village. Two Mimizuku had suddenly collapsed, struck at their knees by rather large shuriken. I had seen Mizuho practicing with them before. She said they were designed to cut mecha. "So Second Sister has already gone ahead into the village," I looked in vain for her amidst the chaos below.

Now the remaining Mimizuku and Yakans were regrouping in a tight circle, wary of their unseen enemy.

"Shadow-person, show yourself!" the Red Spider raised its giant sword over a farmhouse. "Or I'll crush this village, right now."

I was expecting Mizuho to come out into the open, but instead, it was Haruko who appeared before the Red Spider. I watched the tall masked figure make that death-defying leap off the cliff, landing lightly in a crouch before the giant robot. Haru now raised herself to her full height. Such was my Big Sister. Tall, strong, skilled and very mannishly handsome. A woman who was a prince among men. What would I have given to be like her?

"You did not do all of that," the Red Spider remarked, looking at the warrior with the blue-black hair. "There is more than one shadow."

Haruko said, "I am no shadow. I work for no clan."

"Not a ninja?" the mecha warrior asked, curious. "But you move like one."

"Why do you attack the defenseless?" my senpai's voice was calm and clear as the mountain lake. "Is this how a war is fought? Who gave you your orders?"

It was then I noticed that Third Sister too, had disappeared. Ayame was no longer behind the boulder. Where was she? I quickly crept to the edge of the cliff and peered down at the village below.

The Red Spider did not answer Haruko's question. Instead, it asked her in return, "And who sent you? Are you a samurai?"

"I may be a samurai, but I do not stand here as a samurai." Big Sister spoke coolly as she looked upon the Red Spider without fear.

"Then what kind of warrior stands before me?" the Red Spider asked.

"A wolf," My senpai said simply, as the remaining Yakan and Mimizuku were closing in around her. What was Haruko doing? This was madness!

"A wolf, you say. Then you hold a foolish cause higher than loyalty to your lord." The Red Spider was scornful "I thought your kind died out a long time ago. Beasts without honor, without rules, unfit to be called warriors. It is a disgrace that the daughters of samurai had been known to join them."

"So I take it that it is in accordance to the honor and rules of samurai to ill-use innocent women, men and children and slaughter them?" Haruko's voice was cutting.

The Red Spider's answer was a roar of rage. It raised its sword over my eldest senpai. "They are not innocents! They were supplying our enemies with rice!"

"Is that so?" Haruko's tone was sarcastic. "If you have any real courage, take it up with the enemy samurai instead of letting your men ravage defenseless village women! Shame on you! You have sunk so low one would think that none of you were born of human mothers."

"Why is Big Sister talking reason with a monster?" I was sick with fear. "That thing is about to kill her!"

The robot roared and brought its sword down. Small as I was, I could not stand by and let it crush senpai. Drawing my swords, I jumped off the cliff before the mecha's giant cutter hit the ground. I landed on the Red Spider's head, slashed madly at it, but my swords clattered ineffectively against the thick metal skull.

The giant sword still crashed down at the spot where Haru was standing, but she stepped aside at the last possible moment. The force of the blow made a great cloud of dust next to her, but my eldest senpai did not flinch. Now Haru drew her twin blades.

I struck the Red Spider once more. It shook me off as an ox would shake off a fly. Not reacting fast enough to cushion my fall with a roll, I hit my head on the ground when I landed. Stunned, unaware of anything except the white lights dancing before my eyes, I did not see the Mimizuku pointing its gun at me until Ayame rushed over and cut it down. Where did she come from?

Then Third Sister was slashing swiftly through one Mimizuku after another. They did not even have time to fire. To my young eyes then, my third senpai was a goddess of speed.

As I struggled to sit up. the Red Spider fall to the ground, its waist joint cut by Mizuho's twin swords. Second Sister had attacked it from the back while Haruko took an opening from the front, chopping off its cannon arm.

"How dare you! Two against one!" the Red Spider snarled defiantly even as it looked Haruko in the eye and saw its death written there.

"Wolves hunt in packs," Mizuho sliced into the Red Spider's other knee.

"A sneak attack! Where is your warrior's honor?" the machine croaked.

"We do not fight for 'honor'. We fight for life." Haruko scaled mecha's shoulder in two quick steps and decapitated it. Mizuho and Haruko then ran over to aid my third senpai, locked in battle with the smaller mecha.

"Kill them all!" My oldest senpai commanded. "No one survives to bring a report back to base!"

Mecha were running amok around me. Just as I tried to get to my feet, a Mimizuku stepped on my thigh and ran on heedlessly. I almost shrieked from the pain but I bit my scream in. By the time I managed to stand, my sisters had finished with their work. Mizuho threw one of her swords at the last fleeing soldier, a Mimizuku. Second Sister's blade pierced the mecha cleanly through the back. Then she chased up to the fallen mecha, planted her foot firmly on its back and pulled her sword out.

My eyes turned to Third Sister. Ayame was kneeling before the peasant woman whom she accidentally killed earlier. Ayame had been trying to save the village woman. The dark girl's shoulders were bent in an attitude of abject despair. I noticed her left arm was bleeding.

"You are quite competent at killing," Surveying the scene, Haruko pronounced her assessment of Ayame's performance impassively. "But you don't yet have the skill to preserve life. Get up! Your grief will not raise the dead."

Ayame obediently rose to her feet. But she was not done yet. She started hacking at the body of the dead Yakan pilot with a mad vehemence. Blood and bits of flesh were flying everywhere. I saw the crazed look in Ayame's golden eyes. Her features were contorted in a twisted grin but she looked like she was about to cry.

"Enough!" Haruko told her curtly. "Save your energy for more useful actions."

Third Sister stopped her chopping. Then she declared. "Oh, he deserved it. Now I feel better!"

In that instant, the maniacal grin faded from Ayame's face, replaced by a calm mask. I do not know when I started to fear her. Perhaps I already feared her the first day I saw her.

I limped over to Haruko. "Senpai..." I began. She turned and backhanded me in the face, sending me flying into the dirt a second time. I looked up at my eldest senpai, ashamed.

"Child, who told you to follow us?! You think this is a game?" Haruko said sternly. "You already died 10 times today. It's a miracle you are still breathing! On top of nearly getting yourself killed, you almost screwed up our operation. We too could have died because of your stupidity!"

I scrambled to my knees and bowed before her, tasting the blood in my mouth. Did one of my teeth come loose at her blow? Mizuho came over to me. "Imoto-chan, are you hurt?" she sounded concerned.

"A Mimizuku stepped on my leg." I said.

Second Sister squatted down. "Get on my back. I'll carry you home."

I had put my arms around Mizuho's neck when Haruko said coldly, "No! Don't even offer a hand to help him up. His leg is clearly not broken. If he can come here by himself, he can walk back to Sensei's without help."

A sorrow and anger rose within me. I did what I did because I wanted to 'save' Big Sister. It was my first time fighting a mecha. So maybe nothing I did was useful. But a small word of acknowledgement would have made me glad. I was once again reminded that I am never good enough for these people. No matter how hard I tried, I'm always too stupid and too slow, too careless and too unfocused.

I released my hold on Second Sister. Before she rose to her feet, Mizuho whispered to me the only words of comfort I would hear about that day. "For big mecha, target their joints, the areas where metal plates come together. Attacking the armored parts is a waste of energy."

Ayame spoke. "Let's take their guns. We could use them. It would improve our odds. We could kill more of them, and faster."

"No," Big Sister said firmly, "Once we commit a 'property crime', they will be hot on our trail. And the loot will make us more traceable. Retrieve all our projectile weapons, and move out quickly!"

I limped around, helping my sisters retrieve their arrows and throwing stars. Ayame came up beside me. "Idiot!" she hissed. "What are you doing showing your face? You'll get us exposed."

Third Sister pulled out her handkerchief. The same one she used to clean her swords after hacking at the dead Yakan pilot. She quickly tied the bloody cloth around my face, leaving only my eyes exposed. I nearly gagged at the smell of grease and blood so close to my nose. It was a good thing I did not eat the rice cake earlier.

A few surviving peasants slowly emerged from hiding, looking at us nervously. Finally, the peasant woman with pink hair approached Mizuho. "Thank you for saving us, o-samurai-sama."

"I'm not a samurai," Second Sister replied humbly. "I am a peasant like you."

"She's a peasant?" a murmur arose from the villagers. More survivors came out of hiding to look with wonder upon their masked champion.

"Why did you help us?" an old man finally asked, his voice laced with suspicion. My Second Sister answered through her mask. "Because what happened to you could happen to anyone, us included, anytime. We are not fighting for glory, or for honor, or to live by some abstract code of conduct. We fight because we want the world to be a place we can all live in."

Then the people came closer and gathered around us. They began prostrating themselves. "Thank you for saving our village, good people." they wept. Ayame hung her head with shame.

"Please don't do this." Mizuho said to the peasants. "Please rise."

They continued to kneel and weep. It was Haruko's authoritative voice that cut through the sobs and murmurs. "We only postponed the total destruction of your village. How long would it be before the army sends more samurai to follow up on the fate of this platoon? It is probably in your interest to abandon this place and disperse yourselves among distant villages."

"But this is our home!" the villagers wept. "We have nowhere else to go! Can you not save us?"

"We can obliterate one platoon, but not an entire war machine." Haruko sounded almost sad.

We left the village as quickly as we could. I knew my sisters were walking a little slower so that I could keep up, although Big Sister did not even spare me a backward glance. Her words still echoed in my head. I never before realized that the strongest fighters could be so powerless.

Once we were in the cover of the forest, I pulled that filthy handkerchief off my face and gave it back to Ayame. She shot me a withering look but she did not force me to wear it again. We walked in silence for a long time. I finally mustered up the courage to speak. "When I become a very good fighter, as good as my honorable sisters, can I come with you?"

"No." Haruko said flatly.

"Please, but why?" I pushed my luck a little further. Big Sister might twist my ears painfully or strike me again, but I had wanted to ask this question for a very long time.

"Because you're a boy." Third Sister was the one who replied. "There are some things that girls have to do without boys watching, like going to the toilet."

"But this is not like going to the toilet." I insisted. "And I'm safe. I'm not really a boy, right?"

They did not respond. But I could guess what their answer was. I would not fully be a man but I could never grow into a woman either.

"You could pretend I am a girl. I look like one, right?" I persisted.

Again, there was only silence to greet me. I heard Haruko sigh. Finally, Mizuho answered me. "It's our old tradition. It was handed down to us from those before us. And to those before us from those before them. They must have their reasons. We cannot change this tradition."

Ayame added. "Sensei will be displeased to know you were disobedient and followed us. And she will be angry with us for letting you come along."

My apprehension mounted. "You won't tell Sensei, will you?" I could not afford to be driven out of the dojo a second time!

Haruko turned around. Her coal black eyes were cold and uncompromising. "Swear by Heaven and Earth that you will never follow us again. And then we will not speak of this to Sensei."

I was silent for a while. Then I swore the oath. Because I realized they would never change their mind no matter how much I want to 'help' them. I was allowed to stay in an all-female dojo, but still, I was barred from the secret world of the sisterhood whose name we can't even speak. I had done all I could so that my seniors could accept me, only to realize the gate to the courtyard had opened for me, but not the door to the house. Somehow, that knowledge filled me with a slow, corrosive pain. To be not quite an insider and yet not quite an outsider. Suspended in a nameless state. Not knowing where I belong or where I should stand. But maybe this is my fate.

That must have been the day I realized that the only person I could belong with is me. "Wolves hunt in packs." Mizuho had said. But I am not a wolf. I had no pack. For all their sorrows, my wolf-sisters still had each other. I had no one.

So be it then! They made me swear I would not follow them. That means I don't have to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders like they do. They can cry for others but I only need to be loyal to me. Of us four, I alone will have the freedom to be uncaring.


	3. The Ghosts of Chrysanthemum Bridge

**Notes:**

In the Retribution universe. Kyuzo's Sensei's dojo is on Mount Keian. Kawara is the town at the foot of Mount Keian.

Vocab: _ne_ - older sister. Sibling terms can be used on non-relatives as a familiar form of address. Ayame, Mizuho and Haruko are not Kyuzo's biological sisters. They are his sensei's older students.

--

If you passed by Chrysanthemum Bridge in the town of Kawara at noon on the 15th day of the eighth month, you might have seen a pale boy and a dark girl standing there, leaning against the red wooden railing and peering into the water running below. You would have heard the boy pleading in a high, thin voice "Ne-san, don't do it! Ne-san, don't do it!"

If you came closer, you would have seen the girl's arm stretched over the water. From her hand dangled a gray kitten. And if you looked into her golden eyes, you would have seen the shine of unshed tears. What the girl was thinking , I do not know.

The boy's tentative voice piped up again. And you would have seen the girl with the dark brown hair turn and give the younger child a twisted smile that looked more fierce than friendly. The girl, who appeared to be about fifteen years of age, spoke in a sweet voice that sounded vaguely threatening. "So bold... not even bothering to say 'please'?"

The crimson-eyed boy shrank back just a little. But he pleaded once more. "Ne-san, please don't do it!"

"Why?" came the nonchalant reply.

"Be... because it's bad!" the twelve year old stammered before his senior, the deadly senpai he had nicknamed "the goddess of speed."

"Good and bad! Right and wrong! Love and hate!" The handsome girl laughed towards the heavens, shaking the piteously meowing gray fur ball. "How thin the line between the two. How close they lie in the human heart. How easily one tumbles into the other!"

The boy's brows knitted together. He stood there fidgeting, unsure of what to say.

"Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be one of those samurai we saw in Kuroki Village?" A strange light shone in the girl's yellow eyes as she addressed the child. "Like those soldiers who killed and ravaged innocents? I was wondering what it would feel like to be someone like that. Surely they must have mothers and sisters? Surely they must grieve if evil befalls their kin? Then how could they do that to another? I am curious to know how it feels to be unfeeling."

The shorter child was silent Then he stepped forward, taking the taller child's free arm hesitantly. "But you're a good person. You're not like them. You won't take an innocent life."

"You saw what happened in the village." The girl raised her eyebrows, answering in a sarcastic tone, "I've already taken an innocent life. Do you think I am a good person?"

"What happened in the village was an accident." The child with thick straw-colored hair said anxiously.

"But this one won't be an accident!" His older companion laughed lightly, yet one could almost hear tears in the laughter. She turned her eyes back to the dark swirling water under the bridge. Of the five fingers fastened onto the nape of the kitten, she released three.

The boy's crimson eyes widened with alarm. He tugged gently on the girl's free arm once more. "What if... I would like to have the kitten for a present? Would Third Sister be so generous as to consider giving it to me?"

The young maiden turned and fixed her flashing golden eyes on him. The almost cruel sneer on her face melted into another expression. Years later, Kyuuzou still could not find words to describe the look on Ayame's face. The best words he could find for it were "sarcastic delight." Was she testing him? He still wondered. Trying to see if he had the strength to challenge her will?

But unknown to him, at that moment what echoed in Ayame's mind were Mizuho's words. "Despite everything, he still looks up to you, you know. Kyuuzou wants so much to grow up to be like you..." Perhaps Second Sister was right. Perhaps not. The child did not even like her... But just in case Mizuho was right...

"You want a pet, child?" The dark girl finally spoke. "Do you know what work it entails? Food, water, litter, day after day. Have you thought of fleas, ticks and worms? Will you abandon it when you get tired of caring for it?"

Kyuuzou did not even like cats. But he had made his choice. "It will eat what I eat until it learns to hunt mice." The blond boy said simply, "I will draw water for it from the well. For fleas and ticks, I will wash it with soap before I bring it into the house. And then I'll feed it a clove of garlic everyday to keep them away. And for the worms, I will ask for help from Big Sister. Maybe she knows a herbal remedy."

"Very well. From the sound of it, your mother and aunt raised you well." the dark-haired girl said coolly, withdrawing the arm that was extended over the water. "You can have your gift." Staring the boy in the eye, Ayame placed the mewling bundle of fur into the pale child's ready hands.

"Many thanks to you, ne-sama," Kyuuzou bowed deeply, deferentially avoiding his senior's sharp eyes.

The look in the female fighter's eyes was still hard and cruel. "If you break your promise, it will not be too late for me to kill it, you understand?"

"If Heaven helps me, my honorable sister will never need to do so." Kyuuzou stroked the gray kitten gently.

Ayame broke into a beatific smile even though there was still a slightly dangerous air about her. Years later, when the scarlet samurai gazed upon the flashing blades of his twin swords, they still reminded him of Third Sister's gleaming white teeth when she smiled.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Third Sister said to the younger child. "Go now, take care of your new friend. I still have some shopping to do. I will return to the dojo later."

"Yes, ne-sama!" Kyuuzou said, then he turned and trotted down the unpaved road leading towards the mountain.

"A pity you're not a girl," the dark maiden said as she gazed after the departing figure of the skinny child, "You will make a fine Wolf."

For a few moments, the lone Wolf stood in silence on Chrysanthemum Bridge. Then she spoke to the boy who was already too far away to hear the words that would have made his heart a little gladder. "Thank you, little one. If not for you, I could easily have turned into a demon."

It is said to this day that people who walk on the bridge can sometimes see the ghostly figures of a dark girl and a pale boy leaning against the railing, and they could hear the high, halting voice of a child saying "Ne-san, don't do it! Ne-san, don't do it!"

Some say the bridge is haunted, and what they hear is the voice of a ghost. But I think not. For I am quite sure both the boy and the girl are still in the world of the living. Perhaps what walkers on the bridge hear is an echo of the past. Maybe wood and stone have memories too.

---

_One week later... overheard in the dojo on Mount Keian:_

Haruko: That cat has bad breath.

Mizuho: His name is Kyujiro.

Ayame: The bad breath is just the garlic Kyuu-chan has been feeding the kitten.

Haruko: How long do we have to put up with the bad breath?

Ayame: As long as you don't want to put up with the fleas and ticks.

Haruko: How about a 'strictly outdoors' rule for the cat?

Mizuho: I think he would be fine indoors. Perhaps it would be better for Kyuu-chan to have a companion at night. Kyujiro may help him sleep better.

Haruko: Has it been neutered?

Ayame: Not yet.

Haruko: Kyuuzou needs to neuter it. The animal is his responsibility.

Mizuho: Well... let's not put the kid through that. I'll do it.


	4. Chance Encounters

**Acknowledgement:**

Elfjune came up with the nickname of 'flying steak' for the Nobuseri's floating base.

**Notes:**

Shichiroji is 17. Kanbei and enemy OC are 27.

Shichiroji is at this point, an orderly. His rank is too low to be an aide.

In this ficverse, each state-based samurai clan contributes troops to a combined army thatoperates across state borders. State _daimyos_ generally have to supply the combined army when it is within their borders.

A Colonel commands a regiment, a Lieutenant Colonel commands a squadron.

**Warning: **OC of ambiguous gender identity

--

The Northern Front shifted constantly between the four states of Kokuryu, Shichiyama, Juushuu, and Rousen. The Allies held Juushuu and Rousen, but their goal was to conquer the Confederated States of Shichiyama and Kokuryu. Shichiyama, especially, was an eyesore to the _shogun_ - the state's _daimyo_ had switched sides, defecting to the Amanushi nearly three decades ago. Shichiyama's betrayal might have been old history, but the injury was never forgotten by the Allies.

Lieutenant Colonel Shimada Kanbei was not surprised when the Allied Forces high command ordered him to lead his squadron to Juushuu's eastern border region. In name, their mission was to secure Juushuu by stopping Confederated Army incursions into Allied territory. But once that had been accomplished, they could proceed to retake Shichiyama.

WIth the war fought on two fronts, the Allied Air Force had found it convenient, if not necessary, to house squadrons in floating bases that could move quickly to locations where more troops were needed. Kanbei had command over one of these oddly-flat, not particularly aerodynamic-looking flying towers. The land-based commoners of the borderlands gazed upon the floating base with wonder when they first saw it, saying "It looks like a cut of beef!"

Kanbei did not know that floating fortresses like the one he commanded had already been nicknamed "flying steaks" by the peasants of Juushuu. Not that the peasants had much opportunity to eat steak. Meat was a luxury that few could afford .The commander did not know that either.

However, Shimada was wise enough to know that there were many things that he did not know. He had been given temporary authority by the Juushuu'an _daimyo_ to tax the border region farmers for his squadron's needs, and yet he had little knowledge of the ways of the peasantry in general, not to mention regional farmers from a state other than his own. When Kanbei's squadron first entered eastern Juushuu, the samurai commander had sternly instructed his troops not to exploit or harass the commoners. Despite taking this measure , Kanbei was still uncomfortably aware of the fact that he was a stranger in a strange province with strange customs, out of touch with local sentiments. Resentment may lurk behind the submissively respectful faces of locals bowing before the samurai of the occupation forces. That was a lesson he learnt in Hironishi State 3 years ago.

For the first few months in Eastern Juushuu, Kanbei had little time to build friendly relationships with the peasants whose villages supplied his floating fortress with grain. There were no full scale battles, but Lt Col. Shimada and his squadron had been kept busy with border skirmishes. Now that he had pushed the Confederated Army back across the border and set up new defensive positions to prevent future incursions, the Allies had some breathing space. Kanbei now thought of visiting the local millet-growing villages to see for himself the impact of the war on the peasant populace.

---

"Sir, are you sure you're going out with only an escort of one?" 17-year-old Shichiroji said to his commander. "I alone might not be able to protect you if we run into danger."

Kanbei smirked. If any 'danger' appeared, he would most likely be the one protecting Shichiroji instead. But instead of pointing out that obvious fact, the commander said, "We are going on this trip to assess the sentiments of the locals and ascertain that the presence of our squadron's base has not caused them any undue hardship. I want the villagers to trust us. So I have to first demonstrate that I trust them. Entering the villages accompanied by a platoon of bodyguards will just intimidate the peasants into silence."

"It is as you say, Sir," the youth answered earnestly, starting up his commander's two-seater landcruiser. The duo drove out of the Allied Base, down the main highway built by the military, turning left onto an unpaved rural route the served the mountain hamlets.

"It must been getting cooler now in Akashima," Kanbei's thoughts turned to his home state. But autumn here in Juushuu was still warm. His young companion seemed happy to get out of the base. Shichiroji, smiling, enjoyed the feel of the sun on his skin and the wind in his face.

They visited two villages. In each, Kanbei tried to strike up a casual conversation with passing peasants. This proved somewhat difficult, since people either prostrated themselves before the high-ranking warrior, or discreetly hid themselves before he came close enough to address them. But the few times that Kanbei actually managed to speak with a commoner, Shichiroji noticed he always brought up the same two topics. Was the grain tax a bearable burden? Kanbei never apologized for the grain tax, but he wanted to be sure the quota could be achieved without leaving the tax base destitute.

The other subject of Shimada's query was whether any individual soldiers had ill-treated the peasants in any way. The commander assured the villagers that any criminal behavior on the part of his soldiers would be speedily prosecuted. There were a few complaints of samurai teasing the farm animals, or making catcalls at peasant girls, but fortunately nothing much worse. Shichiroji was relieved. Kanbei had made it amply clear to their squadron that anyone found guilty of rape or murder of civilians would be promptly executed, no exceptions.

Young Shichiroji's mind could not stay on such serious matters for long. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. "How could one not be lighthearted on such a day?" said the boy to himself.

When they returned to their land cruiser and drove towards the third village on their route, the orderly began telling his commander a joke that he heard from the other non-commissioned officers. Something about how many archers it took to change a light bulb.

Perhaps the young driver should not have been laughing at his own joke while attempting to round the sharp bend in the mountain road. Shichiroji steered the cruiser around the corner a little too quickly, upon which the two samurai heard a crash, followed by an extended shriek.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!" Unidentified objects suddenly flew into the air before them.

"Oh crap!" Shichiroji shouted, looking up at the falling objects silhouetted against the bright blue sky. For a moment, he thought they were under attack; someone was throwing rocks at them. He reached for his weapon, but before he could draw, the falling items had hit the ground. It was then Shichiroji realized those things were not rocks. They were stuffed toys.

The teenage soldier stopped the vehicle and jumped out. An itinerant peddler was standing in the middle of the road, next to the splintered remains of his cart. Plush dolls lay strewn all over the road.

Stepping out of the land cruiser, Kanbei walked over to the doll peddler. "Are you injured?"

The man, recovering from his shock, prostrated himself at the officer's feet. "O-samurai-sama, I am so sorry I was in your way! I did not see you coming! Really!"

"Please rise. The fault is ours." Kanbei addressed the man while shooting Shichiroji a reproachful look. The trembling peddlar got to his feet.

"The military will compensate you for your loss." Kanbei added. "Feel free to send us an invoice with receipts at this address. You can download the claim form online." He passed the man a card.

The peddler could not believe his ears. He had heard that samurai were mean, nasty people who only take, take, take and never give back. This was too good to be true. He had no intention of engaging in any written correspondence with scary men with swords. But still, his living was nearly all ruined.

"I wouldn't dare," the doll seller said hesitantly to the dark officer, "But I would be pleased if you could buy all my dolls."

---

The orderly and the commander found themselves driving into a village of millet growers with a pile of plush dolls in their cruiser. "We look stupid," Shichiroji thought. "This is so un-samurai."

But Kanbei did not seem to mind. The amiable commander proceeded to distribute the dolls to the peasant children. This public relations stunt broke the ice with the adults too, and soon Kanbei and Shichiroji were chatting pleasantly with the peasants. Shimada had an audience with the village elder, during which Shichiroji assiduously took meeting notes on his handheld computer.

"Well, we will take our leave now," Kanbei finally said. "But is there anyone else around here whom you think we should talk to?"

"The water priestess and her family live just beyond our village." The village elder replied. "She is wise and can see many things we can't. To know the energy of the local terrain, you might find it helpful to talk to her."

Leaving their land cruiser parked in the village, Kanbei and Shichiroji walked to the priestess's house on foot. Kanbei carried the last doll - a white bear with black legs, black ears, and black rings around its eyes.

"I'll hold the doll," the orderly offered. "It does not become you, Commander."

"I'm fine. You're already carrying the handheld computer," replied Kanbei.

As they were nearing the end of the mountain path leading to the priestess' house, two peasant women, bursting out of the house, came racing down the dirt road towards Kanbei and Shichiroji.

"O-samurai-sama!!!" The attractive young women shouted, eager grins in their faces. One of the maidens was in her mid twenties, the other was probably still in her early twenties.

Kanbei and Shichiroji stared open-mouthed at the farm girls running towards them with outstretched arms. Could this be their lucky day?

But the peasant women dashed right past the two men in uniform without even looking at them. The two soldiers turned in surprise, their eyes following the women. They saw the duo run up to a man who had just emerged from behind the grove of aspen trees lining the unpaved road. The older maiden promptly glomped the man's right arm, the younger maiden his left.

"Ladies!!!" The man in peasant garb exclaimed exasperatedly. "How many times must I tell you not to 'o-samurai-sama' me???"

"Oh, we're sorry, Haru-kun. We forgot." The farmers giggled.

Shichiroji stared incredulously at the new arrival. Was this a samurai who did not care for his status? How many people who were not samurai would have given anything to be one?

Kanbei took a good hard look at this new arrival. He appeared to be about Kanbei's age. The man was tall, just about an inch shorter than Kanbei. He cut quite a striking figure - broad shouldered but trim at the waist. Noting that this stranger carried a peasant- style traveling backpack and was attired in different colors from the peasants in this village, Shimada surmised that he probably came from a distant location. And this friend of the ladies was pale-skinned with dark hair, a coloring that set him apart from the dark-skinned, pale-haired locals.

But the commander did not think this man was really a peasant. Even if the peasant girls did not blurt out the man's class status indiscreetly, Kanbei could sense a different energy signature about this stranger with blue-black hair. The aura of a warrior. The officer's eyes narrowed.

---

It turned out that this stranger was none other than Kyuuzou's senpai, the head student of his sword teacher. This month, it was Haruko's turn to go out to gather intelligence, or 'expand her social life', as she preferred to call it. Mizuho's advantage was her peasant background and reassuring manner. People were usually ready to talk to her. Haruko, being from a samurai family, had a harder time understanding the peasant mindset. But she had one advantage - the Northern peasant girls' adoration of Southern samurai men (or women who look like men, for that matter). There were samurai native to the Northland State of Juushuu, and formidable soldiers at that, but the Northlander warriors were a caste into which peasants could not marry. Haruko, however, hailed from Nankai State in the south, where there was no tradition of a caste system. Class boundaries between warrior, peasant and merchant existed in the Southern Sector, but such boundaries were not insurmountable and intermarriage between classes was certainly not unheard of. It was quite understandable that the northern maidens would indulge in fantasies of marrying an out-of-state samurai.

The mikumari sisters' enthusiastic welcome did not surprise the Southlander samurai, but the presence of soldiers at the water priestess' house was not something Haruko was expecting.

"If I had known that my friends were going to blow my cover like that, I would not have bothered to keep my swords hidden in the backpack," the tall warrior thought. Now it would be hard to reach her swords when she could be needing them at any moment, seeing the suspicious look that officer with the plush doll was giving her. Still, Kyuuzou's Big Sister was not too worried at this point. These were only flesh-and-blood samurai, and there were only two of them. Haruko had been well-trained in unarmed combat against armed human attackers.

"You there! Are you a samurai?" Kanbei called out to the strange man.

"You talking to me?" The man with the blue-black hair looked at Kanbei, seemingly surprised. Kanbei sensed the strange man suppressing his _ki_ to a 'normal' human level.

"Come over here!" Kanbei commanded. The man complied. He sauntered up to Kanbei and bowed.

Kanbei repeated his question. "Are you a samurai?"

The stranger gave a pleasant, disarming smile. "Do I look like one?"

"Don't play the fool!" The dark officer said. "Why would the girls address you as 'samurai'?"

"Long story... and quite awkward," the man said. "I hope you will not force me to tell it. It is rather... personal."

"What clan are you from?" Kanbei was not so easily deterred. He had to know if this man was a friend or a foe. No enemy samurai had been able to penetrate so far into their territory, but he wanted to be sure.

"I don't see why it should concern anyone," the man said in a deep, smooth, voice. "My business here is purely personal."

"Show some respect to the Commander!" Shichiroji rattled his convertible three-pronged spear.

"I don't report to this guy," came the nonchalant reply. "I'm not in your army, or in any other army."

"You insolent -" the blond samurai was incensed.

Kanbei placed a hand on Shichiroji's shoulder. "Never mind him. I already have my answer." He turned to the strange man. "You're not a samurai."

With the Great War raging, all male samurai between 18 and 45 were serving their governors as full time soldiers. In some matrilineal northern states, warrior caste women of like age were also required to serve as combat troops. In the southern clans, boys from 16 to 17, as well as women, were allowed to enlist although their service was not compulsory. At any rate, no warrior class male of Kanbei's age was exempt from being an active duty soldier, except for the physically or mentally handicapped. This man did not appear to be either.

In response to Kanbei's conclusion, the man with the straight, shiny blue-black hair shrugged. "May I go now?"

The dark commander nodded curtly. The strange man with the red headband gave Kanbei a bow that was not quite low enough. Then he turned and headed over to the two peasant girls waiting for him. Shichiroji quivered with indignation.

"So..." The handsome man said as he walked off with a woman on each arm, "It's been a long time, hasn't it? I really missed your home-brewed sake... Of course I missed you too... Yes, both of you... And I missed your sister too."

"Eldest Sister will be so glad to see you!" The maidens giggled coquettishly.

"Sheer debauchery!" Shichiroji muttered, looking somewhat enviously at the departing figures of the dark-haired man and the giggling peasant girls. "Definitely not a samurai."

"Either that, or he is a consummate actor." Kanbei said in a low voice. "Wait!" He called out after the peasant women and their dashing companion. The trio turned to look at him curiously.

"We came here to see the water priestess. Do you know, by any chance, if she has the time to meet with us? We wish to better understand if the presence of the Allied Forces has in any way impacted the well-being of your community."

"Oh, you want to see my mother?" The elder maiden said. She turned to her sister. "Imoto-chan, why don't you take these samurai to see Mother?"

Reluctantly releasing her hold on the handsome stranger, the younger woman went over to Kanbei and Shichiroji. "This way please." She gestured towards the shrine complex. Kanbei and Shichiroji followed her to a large mud-brick house next to the shrine.

"Please leave your shoes and weapons outside," The maiden said, stopping at the oprn entrance of house. Kanbei peered into the mud house. It was a crude single-room structure that seemed somewhat unfinished; the front end of building had open, un-shuttered windows that were lillte more than large rectangular holes in the wall. The floor was simply packed dirt. Shimada wondered about the sense of removing his shoes - surely what little dirt they would track into this house would be insignificant on a dirt floor.

But he was more concerned about leaving his sword outside. "I would prefer not to be parted from my weapon," The soldier said.

"With all due respect, Sir, this is a hall of community and worship, a sanctified space for celebrating or discussing the wellbeing of our village," The priestess' daughter answered. "We have always asked all visitors to leave weapons at the door."

"You put me in a difficult position," the commander answered. "For my sword does not leave my side."

Shichiroji glanced worriedly from his master to the priestess' daughter.

"Here, how about a compromise?" The young woman popped into the hall and emerged with a tall earthernware jar. "I'll put this big jar right here outside the door, where you can see it , and you can deposit your weapons in the jar. Then you can take a seat inside the room, right next to the door where you can see and access your weapons anytime. So this way, you're right next to your weapons but they're outside the community hall."

Accepting the compromise, Kanbei placed his sword in the jar. Shichiroji followed his master's example, putting his retractable yari into the jar. He knew, however, that Kanbei was not completely disarmed. The commander carried a revolver within a hidden pocket on his jacket.

"Thank you, honorable warriors," the shrine maiden rolled out a floor mat for the guests, right next to the door. "Please take a seat. I'll let my mother know you're here."

Kanbei entered the room and sat down on floor mat, scanning his surrondings with his sharp eyes. He did not think he was under any threat of treachery or violence from his hosts, but it was always better to err on the side of caution. "Keep an eye on the weapons jar," he told Shichiroji casually after the young woman left the room.

Glancing around the community hall, Shimada noticed that the back of the room had finished, shuttered windows, unlike the front of the building. When the young woman returned bearing a calabash of fruit and three bowls of butter tea, Lt Col. Shimada asked. "Is this building still under construction?"

"It's structurally sound, if that's what you're worried about," The shrine maiden answered, setting down the refreshments before the visitors. "The villagers started building this community hall shortly before the war began, long before I was born. It was almost completed, except for the finishing touches, when the war started. The old priestess, my foremother, said there was no point in finishing the building if it could be bombed to rubble any time. She told our people to wait until the war was over before we put the final touches on our village hall. But it's been five or six generations since then, and yet the building stands unfinished."

"I see," Kanbei's voice was neutral, as his hostess' voice had been. But young Shichiroji thought he could detect an undercurrent of tension between soldier and civilian.

"My mother the priestess will join you shortly," the shrine maiden bowed and left the room.

---

A few moments later, the old water priestess arrived. She welcomed the Allied officer with language more formal and polite than that her daughter had used. The elder and the soldiers exchanged the usual pleasantries over their bowls of warm butter tea.

Once the Mikumari saw that Kanbei was here to humbly listen to the people's voices, she voiced her concerns about the military base's presence. The engine of the squadron's floating base was releasing pollutants into the air and water. So far it was not a serious issue because the base was reasonably far from where they grew their crops and the contamination has not yet reached a 'toxic' level. But what would happen as time passes? Could the honorable samurai consider using some more environmentally-friendly fuel? Kanbei said he would get their engineers to look into it.

As the discussions came to an end, Kanbei said, "By the way, I met a young man on the way to your house. Tall guy with ivory-yellow skin, straight blue-black hair. He is a friend of your daughters, I believe. Seems like a bright young fellow."

"Oh, that one... He first stumbled into our village about 10 years ago. He was very young then, probably as young as your orderly." The old priestess nodded towards Shichiroji. "That time he was carrying two swords and had been wounded quite badly. My daughters patched him up and sent him on his way. But since then, he has occasionally returned to visit. He developed an interest in our herb lore and comes back to pick herbs."

"Or more likely, that sleazy fellow developed an interest in your daughters," Shichiroji's thoughts went unspoken.

"So is he a samurai?" Kanbei asked.

"He never mentioned a lord or a clan. And he seems to have the freedom to come and go like a floating cloud. We never talked about it, but I'm guessing he used to be a samurai."

"Thank you for your time," the dark samurai said politely. "But before we take our leave, can we ask you another question?"

"Of course."

"Do you have any young children in your household?" Kanbei held up the plush doll.

The priestess laughed, "I appreciate your kindness, but my three daughters are all grown women."

---

In another part of the priestess' compound, Haruko sipped millet sake in the company of Aiko, eldest daughter of the mikumari . "So," the tall samurai whispered. "Is all well in the village? I was not quite expecting to find soldiers here."

"They usually don't appear here," the Mikumari replied in a low tone. "They only passed through en masse when they first set up their base. But their base is further north, in the valley. Occasionally a patrol comes through."

"Any problems, so far?" The mannish woman with blue-black hair asked cautiously.

"Fortunately, no." Aiko answered. "We were really afraid there would be looting and worse when samurai came through here, but their commander is a good man. He did not allow any of that."

"I am glad!" Haruko breathed a sigh of relief.

"Not as glad as we are! The Allied commander is a man of principle. But for a moment, I thought you were going to get into trouble with him out there. I was watching from the window. My sisters can be such airheads sometimes." Aiko sighed in amused exasperation.

Haruko's expression turned a little more serious. "I think I should probably go, before he starts asking more questions. I don't want to bring your family trouble."

The samurai got to her feet. "Goodbye now. Take care of yourself. Who knows when or if we might meet again?"

The Mikumari looked at her friend worriedly. She asked, "Haruko, did your clan ask you to return to them? You don't have to go to fight in the war, do you?"

"No, I have not received orders." Haruko replied. "One of the few good things about being born a woman, right? But I bade you farewell because of the way the world is. Things have grown crazier, not saner."

"I know what you mean," Aiko's tears started to fall. "The news came that Mai from the cell in Shinna Village blew herself up in a suicide attack against the mecha soldiers who were terrorizing the villages in the area."

"Yes, things are not well in the West Sector, I've heard." Haruko bit her lip. "But it is our fate as Red Wolves. To do what we have to do to bring about a world we can live in. Each in her own way."


	5. Truths and Lies

**Warning: **OC of ambiguous gender identity/non-mainstream sexual orientation

--

Kanbei and Shichiroji left the Water Priestess' shrine, walking back towards the main village. After they passed a bend in the mountain road, the young commander stepped off the road and hid behind a rock. Shichiroji, although ignorant of Shimada's intentions, followed his master's lead unquestioningly. Like Kanbei, Shichiroji dropped down on one knee and waited in silence.

Long moments passed before Kanbei finally whispered. "He's approaching. When he gets here, attack without holding back. I want to test his skill."

Shichiroji guessed the 'he' who Kanbei spoke of was probably that strange fellow they saw earlier.

Another long moment passed. Shichiroji did not see their target come into sight. A flash of realization struck Commander Shimada. "Darn it! He is good! He detected our presence and got off the road."

Before Shichiroji realized it, Shimada was dashing up the hill into the trees. The young orderly leapt to his feet and tried his best to keep up with his dark-haired commander.

--

Kyuuzou's eldest senpai, having bade farewell to Aiko not long before, was sauntering down the mountain path. But the mannish woman's carefree gait belied her alertness to her surroundings. Before reaching the bend in the trail, the 27-year-old sensed a hidden presence lying in wait.

The disguised samurai had a good idea who it might be. Deciding that there was nothing to be gained in a violent confrontation, the black-haired warrior got off the path and began quietly making her way up the hill into the woods, intending to avoid the soldiers. But it wasn't long before she was aware of someone running behind her, hot in pursuit.

"Darn, that guy never quits, does he?" The senior student of Mount Kei'an Dojo said to herself. But now she judged rightly that there was no point in fleeing from such a relentless warrior. The wolf stood her ground.

"Dude, what's your problem?" Kyuuzou's Big Sister whirled around to face Kanbei on the grassy slope, her tone carrying more than a hint of cool annoyance.

"I should be the one asking you that!" The commander replied. "Why do you run from us if you did nothing wrong?"

"Hello! You were the ones trying to ambush me! Why would I run? Think 'scary men with swords'! Duh!"

"Who's the scary man with swords?" Kanbei retorted. "You have a sword in your backpack. No, in fact two. I can tell by the way they rattled when you ran."

"Oh, so you have great hearing! Congratulations!" Haruko answered in a smooth voice while conjuring up Plan B. She saw Shichiroji run up to Kanbei, huffing and puffing.

Kanbei went right to the point. "Why would a samurai want to deny his status? Unless he is an enemy spy? I would appreciate it if you can return to base with us for questioning."

Haruko had no intention of going anywhere with these strangers. The women's wisdom passed down through the ages made it clear that once a victim was removed to a 'secondary crime scene', her chances of survival were far slimmer. The wolf warrior's hands, already placed on her backpack straps, moved slightly. She could probably use the backpack as a distraction by throwing it at that pesky man. What followed next could be closing the distance for a killing pressure point move, or capturing that blond kid to use as a shield, or any number of other options, depending on how things fell.

Once it began, there would be no holding back. Either she would die, or they would die. This was not about establishing dominance in battle to boost one's ego. This was not about seeking challenging duels so that one's daring and skill might be praised by others. This was about survival. Nothing more.

Kanbei, upon seeing the slight shift in his opponent's stance and hand positions, moved his hand to his sword. He had full intention of killing this stranger if the pale man made a move to injure either himself or Shichiroji.

But at that very moment, a turquoise-haired woman suddenly emerged from the nearby bushes and threw herself at the commander's feet. Kanbei's eyes widened with surprise. Had the peasant woman been following them undetected all along? Of all the strange things he had seen that day.

"Who are you?" The commander asked sharply.

"I am Aiko, eldest daughter of the Water Priestess!" The woman sobbed. "Please forgive him! He is really a samurai, but my parents do not want me to marry one. So we have to keep it a secret!"

"Which clan are you from?" Kanbei questioned the strange man.

This was the moment of truth. Haruko was a member of the Kurume Clan in the South Sector, which was fighting on the other side of the war. She could give another clan name, but there was no point lying... too much. The commander had the information systems available to verify anything she said on the spot. By instinct, the mannish samurai knew that trying to deceive this dark warrior would make him show even less mercy.

"Kurume Clan," came Haruko's calm reply. If anything went wrong at this point, she and Aiko would have to fight their way out of it. The broad-shouldered woman had faced more enemies before and killed them all. Yet her well-honed warrior instincts told her not to take this commander too lightly. He was not one of those who directed a battle while sitting in his office, that she could tell by now.

Shichiroji started. An enemy samurai deep within their territory! They should arrest him immediately! The 17year old turned to Kanbei. But his commander did not seem the least agitated. Kanbei said to the pale-skinned stranger. "You are pretty bold to come here."

"I am not here as a member of the Kurume Clan," The man with coal-black eyes replied calmly. "I am just here as a man visiting the woman he loves. If I cannot get my lord's permission to marry young Mikumari-sama, I will renounce my status as a samurai. In addition, I have not been summoned for military duty. I believe a non-combatant, even one from an enemy clan, should have nothing to fear from you."

Shichiroji could not believe his ears. A samurai who put his individual interests before his clan? And who would so lightly give up the status that so many others would kill to have? This man did not even seem to care about being a samurai. Where was his pride? His sense of reputation?

Kanbei too found the strange samurai's claims unbelievable. But for different reasons. With few exceptions, all men between 18 and 45 in the samurai class were fulltime soldiers. The human resource demands of the Great War made that a necessity. With these factors in mind, a man of samurai birth wandering around as a free individual at Kanbei's age seemed an unlikely scenario.

"What is your name?" Kanbei asked the stranger in a neutral tone.

Just for a moment, Haruko considered giving the name of one of her male cousins. But those samurai were in the military, and therefore, in the eyes of Kanbei, they were enemy combatants. Giving a totally fictitious name might not work either. Getting caught in a lie could make things worse for her before this stern commander.

She answered. "Tashiro Haruhiko."

The commander turned to his orderly. "Shichiroji, check for that name in the samurai census database."

The young orderly clumsily punched a long series of keys on his handheld computer. Shichiroji hit the 'delete' and 'undo' buttons many times, seemingly taking an eternity before downloading the relevant information over the excruiciatingly slow wireless internet connection. After a targeted search of the latest census results, Shichiroji raised his eyebrows. There was no Tashiro Haruhiko in the Kurume clan. There was however, a Tashiro Haruko. He looked oddly at the broad-shouldered 'man' with the enviably shiny blue-black hair. The tall 'man' glanced back at him calmly.

Turning away from the odd stranger, the blond boy held up his handheld computer for Kanbei to view. The commander's sharp eyes rapidly scanned the contents of the screen, his facial expression neutral . Yes, that would explain why 'he' could be so old and yet not in the military. So maybe the samurai was not lying after all.

"It would be interesting to duel this strange warrior", The dark samurai thought. The commander could tell this was no common fighter. Kanbei might have issued a challenge when he was a few years younger. But since the day he killed Shizuka, he somehow lost the desire to assert the superiority of his skill over another person's. Pride, ego, the 'glory' of death - what was the point?

Instead the commander addressed the strange samurai as one man would address another. "Treat the young Mikumari right. If you are to marry this woman, you should keep no secrets from her."

"Have no worry!" The straight-haired 'man' bowed towards Kanbei, "She knows all there is to know about me!"

"You can go." Kanbei's lips quirked in a vaguely sarcastic not-quiite smirk.

The two women bowed to him once more before heading into the woods.

After watching their departing figures for a moment, Kanbei suddenly called out, as if he just remembered something.

"Wait!"

Aiko and Haruko turned to look at him, their calm expressions concealing their doubt. Did that man change his mind?

"Haruhiko-dono," The dark man held a the plush doll made in the shape of a bear. "Do you have any young relatives at home?"


	6. The Doll

**Notes:**

Characters' opinions don't represent author's opinions.

Kyuuzou is 12 in this chapter. His senpai Ayame is 15, Mizuho is 19.

In the Retribution universe, the Great War was waged between the states allied with the shogunl and the states loyal to the emperor. Each state was ruled by a military government (the samurai clan) that maintained its own forces for internal defense. But each clan had to contribute troops to the combined forces. The combined army for the states on the shogun's side is called the Forces of the Allied Provinces, or Allied Forces, for short. Kanbei is in the Allied Forces. The other side is the Confederated Prefectures. This is the army that Haruko's clan contributes its soldiers to.

--

Kanbei and Shichiroji, making their way down the slope, returned to the dirt road leading to the main village. By now the shadows of the trees lining the road had grown long in the warm light of the late afternoon sun. The two samurai's little side trip had set them slightly behind schedule.

"Let's get back to our land cruiser quickly," The commander said. "Or our people back at base will start to worry about us."

"Yes sir," Shichiroji made an effort to keep pace with his leader's long strides. "I'll call the command center once we return to the vehicle."

They had not walked more than a dozen steps when Kanbei heard Shichiroji's anxious voice behind him. "Why did you let that Kurume Clan person leave, Kanbei-sama? She could be a spy. Why else would she be dressed as a man?"

"If that samurai was an enemy spy, she would not have told us her clan name. She would have used a fully formed alternate identity."

"Something about that person feels wrong," Shichiroji insisted. "I still think she's hiding something. And the peasant girl too! Consummate actors, both of them! All that garbage about a forbidden affair and plans for 'marriage'! And it turns out they're both women! I've heard about the cunning of peasants. Now I see it is true!"

"I've been told that the Southlanders have some strange customs since ancient times. They are a degenerate lot, unlike us people of the West, or so says the elders of the West. The South has somehow produced many women who dress as men and live as men. So I'll give that fellow the benefit of the doubt. Maybe 'he' was telling the truth. Maybe that Southern samurai and the Northland maiden are really lovers. Though I truly do not know what she sees in life with 'him'."

Although Shichiroji could not see his commander's face, the youth could guess from the sound of Kanbei's voice that Lt. Col Shimada was probably wearing a sardonic smirk.

The Allied Forces commander, despite the magnanimity of his actions towards the warrior from enemy territory, truly did not feel too kindly towards the Kurume Clan man-woman, or towards "his" local prietess lover for that matter. And this hidden bias had revealed itself in the bitterness of his speech.

Suddenly realizing that he had spoken less than nobly in front of a young soldier who looked up to him, Shimada added in an apologetic tone. "But given the perils of our times, women have been known to dress as men when they travel. Since we have found no evidence of spying on the part of that Southern samurai, I presently choose not to attribute any evil intent to 'his' deception."

"Kanbei-sama is really too kind," said Shichiroji to himself.

Still, there was something about those two strangers that irked Shimada. Kanbei did not quite know what it was. It was not because they had tried to deceive him. He could mentally acknowledge that he would probably have done the same if he was in their place. Was he bitter because the duo had somehow reminded him of another two women? The question came to Kanbei's mind but he could not or would not answer it.

By now, Kanbei and Shichiroji had reached the landcruiser. Switching on the vehicle's radio, Shichiroji proceeded to contact the Allied Force's floating base. "Land Cruiser 1 to Command Center. We're returning to base."

--

Two figures loped up the grassy hill together, the shorter woman keeping up with her long-legged companion with no sign of strain. In fact, the shorter of the two, a hardy highland peasant, was easily holding a conversation while running uphill at a pace that would have rendered the typical town-dwelling samurai short of breath.

"So, what are you going to do with that doll?" Aiko asked the tall warrior beside her.

Haruko shrugged. "Give it to the youngest junior, I suppose. Though I fear that if I bring the boy a present, and have no gift for the girl, the girl will get jealous."

"Ayame should have outgrown such things by now, hasn't she?" the priestess smiled.

Haruko wasn't sure what Aiko meant by "such things." Soft toys or childish jealousies? But her friend continued speaking.

"So when will I see you again, my floating cloud? Before the spring rains return to Kaneda, perhaps? I've heard that winter in the south is harsh. Come live with me in the north where it never snows."

"My honored Older Sister, you never stop trying, do you?" Haruko smirked.

"You know my heart still leans the way it did 10 years ago." The turquoise-haired peasant exhaled, smiling broadly.

"Always the joker."

The two had reached the crest of the hill overlooking a fern-lined gully. Haruko glanced down at the saddled fast turtle browsing through the ferns.

"Pretty careless of you to leave her untethered," Aiko chided her dark-haired companion.

"Sei is an intelligent beast who knows when to stay and when to go," Haruko replied. "I left her free to roam so that she could escape from wild beasts if she has to."

"I think I told you before, but there are no large predators at this elevation. There's not enough game for them. They prefer the rainforests and grasslands."

"Not so in Nankai," The samurai answered. "There are bears, tigers and wolves in the hills and mountains."

"Another reason you should move to Juushuu then," the bright-eyed peasant winked.

"But here in the north, you have crocodiles in the rivers, large constrictors in the rainforests, and lions on the grasslands" the southern samurai replied with mock seriousness. "I am in fear for my life whenever I visit your fair country, and enemy samurai are certainly not the only threats I'm concerned about.."

Aiko gave a wry smile, but behind the smirk was a tremor of fear and sorrow. She too feared for Haruko's life, perhaps more than the Southern warrior would ever know. It was the age of sword and shield, bow and spear, guns and bombs. The peasant felt a sense of foreboding - if winds of war set the course of this floating cloud, this singularly independent warrior, free of heart and free of mind, would be free no more, becoming just another cog in the war machine.

"I take my leave now, my gracious hostess," Aiko's guest, unaware of the priestess' unease, bowed deeply. "May the sun and rain smile on the fields of your people."

--

It would have made a somewhat bizarre spectacle in the Northlands - what appeared to be a young man with the coloring of a Southlander, the garb of a farmer and the carriage of a warrior. And as if that was not strange enough, the traveler's fast turtle had a plush doll strapped to its saddle. This plush toy bear looked rather incongruous jostling with the two swords slung across the traveler's back.

But few saw this unusual sight. Haruko made her roundabout way through the hills of Eastern Juushuu by the route that Aiko told her about, avoiding military outposts, toll highways and heavily populated areas. "What was supposed to be a low key information gathering trip had turned out generated a little drama," Haruko thought. When facing that dark samurai earlier, the wolf warrior was, for a moment or two, not too certain if she would return home alive.

"That Allied Forces commander of Westerling descent looks a little like Shizuka-dono," pondered Haruko. "Maybe I should have asked for his name."

"They're probably not related," The samura shrugged. "Mizuho will laugh at me for thinking all natives of the Western States look alike."

--

Having passed two years in Mount Kei'an Dojo, young Kyuuzou had become more adept at meditation. One effect of this practice, he came to notice, was deep and dreamless slumber. The child still dreamed on occasion, but not as often as he did during his first year here. Now, in his dreams, he had the awareness to know that he was dreaming. The dreams themselves were nothing new - alternating between vaguely happy memories of his earlier childhood and the nightmares that he feared. But good dreams or bad, they became less frequent as the young trainee gradually learned to still his mind.

On a night of the half moon in the autumn of the year Genna 1, Kyuuzou dreamt a dream unlike any earlier dream. It was neither comforting nor disturbing, merely mundane. In his dream, he heard Big Sister's fast turtle run up to the gate. Then all was quiet for a while. Then he dreamt he saw a light in the room shared by Ayame and Mizuho. The child opened his eyes. This was not a dream. There was really a light on in the girls' room.

"What are they doing up so late? Is Haruko back?" The 12-year-old rubbed his eyes blearily and crawled across the hallway over to the open door of the girls' room.

Haruko was there, speaking to Mizuho and Ayame. "I was in Aiko's village when I met a strange samurai. He is the commander stationed in their region. Aiko says the peasants there had no trouble from his soldiers. He seemed different from those we had to kill. I was thinking maybe I could join the military and change things from within. It should be easy for me to gain entry. All I have to do is report to my clan's headquarters and volunteer for the Army of the Confederated Prefectures."

The two younger girls stared at her. Second Sister finally said, "But what if... they ask you to do something bad to someone? You can't disobey..."

"A soldier has a right to disobey an illegal order. It is just that some of them choose not to."

"But still..." Mizuho's voice held doubt.

"Just think!" Haruko continued. "What if half the military were women? Do you think the kind of things we saw happen will happen?"

The two maidens stared at her in silence.

Haruko answered her own question, "Probably they would still happen, but to a much lesser degree."

The samurai's scion turned to the merchant's daughter. "Imagine, Ayame, if you were a captain, would you allow your samurai to do the cruel things we have seen?"

"No!" The youngest girl's response was sure and swift.

"So, there! You can make a difference." Haruko said. "I have already spoken to Sensei. I will go. If things turn out well, I will send for you in a year or two. By next year, Ayame will be just old enough to enlist. Think about it."

The blond boy thought about it. Yes, they were all leaving him behind. Again. He let out a soundless sigh. Despite his silence, his senpai must have sensed the flow of his breath, for the three seniors turned to look at the little eavesdropper sitting in the doorway of the room. But instead of rebuking him, Big Sister held up a large plush doll. A plump white bear with black ears, black legs, and black rings around its eyes.

"For you," she said simply.

Kyuuzou's crimson eyes grew wide. He moved closer. All his life, he never had such a toy. Mother and Aunt could not afford anything like that. At Sensei's he barely had time for play. Except for the all too brief moments he skimmed rocks over the surface of the mountain lake with Mizuho or went out to pick flowers with Ayame.

The boy reached out his hand to touch the bear's smooth fur, just to make sure the thing was real.

"Senpai bought it?" Kyuuzou sounded almost incredulous. The eldest senpai never doted on him.

"No, I did not buy it," said Big Sister. "A samurai gave it to me to give to you."

"The commander gave you that?" Mizuho asked. "He seems like a nice person, ne?"

"Yes, it sure seems that way." Haruko replied.

"Thank you, Big Sister." Solemn-eyed, Kyuuzou received the plush bear with both hands.

"Oh, don't thank me," answered Eldest Sister. "You can thank that samurai if you ever meet him."

The ghost of a smile pulled at the boy's lips, but Kyuuzou schooled his face back into a neutral expression, hiding that alien emotion that felt suspiciously like happiness. Bowing low, the child left the girls' room and returned to his own chamber. That night, Kyuuzou went back to sleep hugging the softest thing in the world.

"Who is that good man that Big Sister spoke so well of?" The child wondered. "Maybe it would be nice to meet him someday and thank him."


	7. Big Brother

**Notes:**

In this chapter, Kyuuzou is not using the S-shaped scabbard because at age 12-14, his arm is still too short to draw the bottom sword from the S-shaped scabbard. So he carries his swords separately in 2 sheaths. S-shaped scabbard will come later.

Vocab:  
_ni_ - older brother(can also be used to address an older male friend)  
_ne_ - older sister

--

Soon came the day for Kyuuzou's eldest senpai to leave the dojo. Tashiro Haruko would report as a volunteer soldier to her clan's main castle in the capital of Nankai province. The Nankai'an samurai rose early that morning to brief Mizuho, who would now assume the duties of the senior student. Ayame too rose early to prepare and pack food for her senpai's trip. Unlike her usual custom, Ayame did not ask Kyuuzou to assist her. The boy guessed that the 3rd senpai probably regarded his cooking as not good enough for the eldest senpai's last meals from the dojo.

But Kyuuzou did not feel slighted, despite the fact that he had applied himself diligently to all his dojo chores, and thought himself competent in all of them, cookery included. There were other things on his mind this day. Lingering outside the door of Haruko's room, young Kyuuzou waited silently as his eldest senpai spoke with Mizuho within, possibly for the last time. Kyuuzou had never been particularly fond of the tall mannish woman, and it was not out of sentimentality that he lingered to hear his two senpai converse about the transition of school duties. When his sharp ears picked up the indication that Haruko's meeting with Mizuho was about to come to an end, he retreated down the hallway, all the way to the adjoining corridor. Haruko would pass him on her way to Sensei's study, which was where he guessed she would go next.

Stepping out of her room, Haruko strode towards's Sensei's office, intending to take her leave of the sword teacher, possibly for the last time. She found the pale boy kneeling in the hall.

"O-ni-sama," Kyuuzou's eyes were deferentially downcast.

The broad-shouldered samurai raised her eyebrows. What was the child up to now? The juniors usually called her "O-ne-sama" or 'senpai', though Ayame had taken to calling her "O-ni-sama" whenever she wanted Haruko to do her a favor. The Northern girl had long figured out the social values of the South, a region of the Empire where sons were regarded more highly than daughters. Addressing a mannish woman as a man was a form of 'flattery', perhaps.

Not surprisingly, the 12 year old boy presented with a petitioning gaze. "O-ni-sama, I would like to ask a favor of you before you leave."

"So, another little tactic Kyuuzou has picked up from Ayame," Haruko smirked. While being addressed as "O-ni-sama" or "aniki" might have pleased her to no end years ago, the 27-year-old Wolf was no longer as susceptible to such manipulations.

"And what favor may that be?" The broad-shouldered swordfighter addressed the child.

"Can o-ni-sama tell me... who my mother's family is?" Kyuuzou asked cautiously.

"You already know they are samurai." The reply was unsatisfying.

"What is their family name? And what is the clan to which they belong?" Kyuuzou persisted.

"And why would you want to unearth a past your mother chose to leave behind?"

Kyuuzou's thin, small voice drifted up to the woman who stood over 6 feet tall. "Because... I would like to know more about who my mother was before I came along..."

"Why don't you ask Sensei?" Big Sister replied. Kyuuzou could feel her piercing gaze on the top of his bowed head. The pale-haired child, his small jaw clenched with frustration, perceived that Haruko could read him through and through. He wanted to know who Mother's family was and where they were was so that he could someday find the kinsman who slew her. And Kyuuzou would kill that man in turn. But Sensei had forbade revenge. Sensei would never tell him what he wanted to know. Of the three 'sisters', only Haruko had met Mother. And now Haruko was leaving for the war; she might perish, and there would be no one left to pass him the knowledge that he needed.

The warrior stepped past the kneeling child, taking a few strides in the direction of Sensei's study.

"Aniki!" Young Kyuuzou's voice, an odd mix of restraint and desperation, echoed behind her. That one small cry from a child held so many unspoken sorrows. If Kyuuzou had an older brother, that man would guide him. That man should protect him. That man should show him how a man should fight for what he believed in. Realizing that she was the closest thing to a man in that boy's life, the tall warrior who looked like a man and spoke like a man stopped midstride.

Seeing the pause in Big Sister's step, Kyuuzou raised his eyes towards Haruko hopefully. But she did not turn to look at him. "I was only eight years old when your mother left the dojo to return to her clan and fight in the war. I only knew her for three years. She was very kind to me, and I respected her greatly, but I do not know many things about her."

Kyuuzou suspected that "Big Brother" knew more than these words suggested. Haruko, who kept friendly relations with diverse sorts of women around the Empire, seemed to be in tune with all kinds of gossip from all types of places.

The usually quiet child spoke with unusual eloquence. "How sad it is that a child knows nothing about his mother's life before him? And my mother is gone from me. You are my only link to my mother's past. Please tell me her surname, at least."

"The cunning of children," the samurai with the blue-black hair said to herself. "I wonder if Ayame coached him for this little speech. But it is just as possible the boy came up with those words himself. Even infants who have not yet learnt to walk instinctively resort to emotional manipulation."

Haruko knew that she should not answer Kyuuzou, but there was an almost imperceptible tremor of agony in his young voice that made the warrior's heart ache.

The samurai spoke quickly. "Her family name was Shimada. It is a common- enough name in the Western states. You'll probably find Shimadas in every other Western clan."

It was an acceptable compromise. To be a big brother would mean being firm enough not to give the pleading child everything he wanted. Granting his every whim would not be in his best interests. With one vague clue, the child could do his own work to find his own answers. And if it was in his destiny, Kyuuzou would find what he sought. If it was not fated, it was none of her concern either. Tashiro Haruko strode on without a backward glance, leaving the young sword student still kneeling in her shadow.

Gazing after the departing figure of the tall warrior, the straw-headed child felt confused, not by her answer but by his own emotions. He felt a sense of relief and gratitude at being rewarded with a piece of his mother's past, but at the same time he felt cheated. That information was too vague to be useful for finding Mother's family. "Did Big Brother really help me?"

--

_Kyuu POV:_

The next year, Haruko came back to visit us. I saw Big Sister from the window when she rode the fast turtle up to the gate of our school. Dressed in the gray uniform and tall boots of the Army of the Confederated Prefectures, Big Sister looked the same, yet different - almost like a stranger. Maybe it was the military uniform. Before she left us for the army, _aniki_ was already an imposing figure - a broad-shouldered fighter who carried herself with the easy, understated confidence of one who felt no need to prove herself to others. But when I saw her returning in her smart high-collared uniform and shiny boots, it seemed that her old relaxed confidence had sharpened into the stern, proud demeanor of a professional soldier. And I thought, maybe one day I could wear that uniform too.

As I rested my eyes on Haruko's tall frame, I could not help but think this was how one of the mighty men of the ancient South must have looked. Those early samurai who won the Empire for the first Amanushi thousands of years ago. I've heard people sing of the legendary warriors from ages past - the ancient Southern samurai who repelled the feared cavalry of the fierce Northlanders with their strategy, skill, endurance and courage, and who went on to conquer the continent for the first Emperor. The Southlanders were the people who first established the Empire. To a greater or lesser degree, their language and customs have left their mark on the rest of us.

"O-ne-sama!" Mizuho and Ayame cried out with joy, running out the door to welcome our senpai. I hung back, standing in the door frame, watching. I had not forgotten Big Sister 'cheated' me. Well, she did not really cheat me, but there was still bitterness in my heart. Then again, I could not remember the last time my heart had not been bitter.

After Haruko had embraced my two senpai, she turned to me. "Kyuutaro, come over here."

With slight reluctance, I obeyed. Big Sister pulled a long cloth-wrapped bundle out from under the saddle of the fast turtle. Head bowed, I carefully received the long bundle with both hands.

"You can unwrap it now," Haruko flashed a smile.

While Ayame peered over my shoulder, I untied the string that held the roll of coarse white cloth together, unrolling the cloth wrapper to reveal twin swords in rather nondescript black scabbards.

"For you," Big Sister said. The last time she said those words to me, she was handing me a stuffed toy. Now she was handing me my first 'real' swords. The blades I wielded in the dojo were cheap swords used for training. But these ones... these katana were not the same. They looked strong and beautiful.

"Wah..." Ayame and Mizuho exclaimed at the light reflecting off those polished hilts. The ends of the hilts were shaped a little like those of Mother's swords and Haruko's swords, but otherwise, these hilts were different. The handles of my new swords had a curvilinear form and slight indentations designed to give the wielder a better grip.

"The newest in ergonomic technology, ne?" Mizuho commented. Ayame touched the sword hilts cautiously, careful not to smudge my precious gifts. The weapons looked expensive.

Mizuho held one of the swords for me while I unsheathed its twin. Beholding the brand new white blade gleaming in the sunlight, Ayame pouted. "Now you have nicer swords than I do!"

Now I truly felt glee. But I did not show it.

I gazed at the keen blade and my own reflection stared back at me. For the first time in my life I thought maybe, just maybe, I looked like a samurai.

"I had them forged by the best sword smith in Sai'an City," Big Sister, strong as death, put a hand on my shoulder. Her coal-black eyes bore into me, issuing both a command and a challenge. "I think you're old enough to graduate to real swords. Use them worthily and care for them well!"

"Thank you! O-ni-sama!" I replied. "I will not disappoint you."

All of a sudden, I felt like a grown up. A samurai boy receives his first real swords from his father at his coming of age ceremony. I was not a samurai, I had no parents, and I had not yet come of age. But all of that did not seem to matter at the moment I held my first real swords. I felt like a prince. I had o-ni-sama. And I was no longer angry with Big Sister.

Haruko did not stay long. Before the day was over, she was on her way back to her regiment. Mizuho and Ayame said they would train hard for one more year and then go to join Haruko. That evening, Second Sister and Third Sister talked to each other excitedly about what the next year would bring but they said nothing at all about whether I could come with them. I was not pleased, but that same night, before I slept, I gazed upon my new swords and told myself I would one day prove that I am worthy.

_End Kyuuzou POV_

--

A year later, Kyuuzou's two remaining senpai decided to leave the mountain and enlist with Big Sister's battalion. Haruko had written letters of recommendation for them. The red-eyed boy watched mutely as Ayame and Mizuho packed their bags. He made no effort to assist them, and they did not ask for his help. Kyuuzou knew he would be left behind. As before.

Ayame, picking up her bag, turned to Kyuuzou with a somewhat regretful smile. "After we're gone, you will have Sensei's undivided attention. Maybe, the next time I see you, you will be a better fighter than I am."

The 14-year-old nodded without feeling. He would be alone once more.

After bidding farewell to Sensei, the girls went to the gate. Kyuuzou did not stand up to send them off. The two female fighters turned their heads, throwing him a quizzical look. Then Mizuho smiled. "No need for goodbyes. You will see us again soon. We'll come back when we have leave."

"Yes, there is no need for goodbyes," Ayame added. "In 2 years, you will be old enough to enlist. If we're still alive, come and join us."

Kyuuzou remained wordless. Mizuho gave him a slight nod before the two young women headed down the mountain path without a backward glance at the house where they lived and trained for so long.

As the fair-headed boy watched the departing figures of his seniors, a small smile slowly broke through his impassive features. "You will still be alive in two years," he said voicelessly. "You have to stay alive, because when the time comes, I will follow you down the mountain."

And for the first time in a long while, he felt something akin to hope.


	8. The Scent of Death

**Warnings:** Implied war crimes. Tragedy (but not involving main characters)

**Notes: **The people Kyuuzou refers to as his sisters are not his biological sisters. They are his Sensei's older students (senpai). Kyuuzou is 16 in this chapter. Ayame is 19-20ish, Mizuho is 23, Haruko is 31.

**Vocab:**  
_heimin_ - commoner,_senpai_ - senior, _kouhai_ - junior

* * *

As it came to pass, Kyuuzou trained for two years under the undivided attention of Aikawa Sensei. It was a difficult and lonely time; all of the school's chores had fallen to him now that he no longer had the help of his seniors. To hone him further, Sensei would send him into the wilds of Mount Kei'an for days at a time, practicing the survival skills that his seniors already mastered. Finally, at age 16, Kyuuzo received the teacher's permission to join his 3 senpai-sisters in the army. On the day he left the dojo, the old lady gave him a parting gift - a red S-shaped scabbard for his twin swords.

"Be good", the sword mistress said, "Obey your sisters and fight bravely."

The kneeling boy received the scabbard with both hands, touching his head to the floormat in a gesture of respect. "Sensei, I will have to trouble you to take care of Kyuujiro."

"Kyuujiro has been part of the dojo for years," the old woman smiled. "Nothing will change."

The boy, leaving his pet cat in the care of his teacher, traveled west to the base of the 43rd Battalion, where Haruko was now a platoon commander, and Mizuho and Ayame were squad commanders serving under her. Upon reaching the base, Kyuuzou showed the recruiting officer the letter of recommendation that Big Sister had written for him. The young fighter had no samurai family tree, but he had access to one of the few avenues by which a commoner could enter to the military - the recommendation of a samurai officer. A letter alone would not have guaranteed his place in the battalion, but the youngest student of Mount Kei'an Dojo easily passed the entry test by sparring a few soldiers and squarely defeating them.

The newly enlisted Kyuuzou would have preferred to be assigned to Second Sister Mizuho's squad. But soldiers usually had no say as to where they would be assigned. So, Kyuuzou ended up in Ayame's squad. The topaz-eyed officer welcomed her kouhai gladly. Kyuuzou still saw Mizuho and Haruko often, since they were in the same platoon. At first, it seemed to Kyuuzou that the platoon spent all its time practicing military maneuvers and weapons skills. There was no actual fighting. The new recruit hungered for 'real battle' by which he could prove himself and 'grow stronger'. He did not have to wait long. For soon enough, his battalion was called to the Western Front, replacing another battalion that was rotating back to the training base.

The peasant child heard strangers' voices echoing through the village. Were the samurai back to kill and pillage some more? There was probably no one left to kill and nothing left to pillage. Why must they return? When would she ever be safe? From her hiding place behind the straw bales in the loft, she could see through the front door into the street. She saw a samurai head towards her house, followed by another. They were wearing different uniforms from the ones who were here earlier. These soldiers must be from the other side, but what difference did it make to her? They were all scary people with swords who had come to kill.

The youngster had seen enough samurai and rank insignia to guess that the first person was a sergeant - a squad commander. This was the first time the girl had seen a female samurai. She heard of female soldiers, but had never set her eyes on one before. They were not very common. The woman had one sword drawn and another one still in its sheath on her back. The young soldier behind her had two swords drawn. Their blades were clean. The child, eyeing the strangers fearfully, concluded that there was no living human left in her village for them to kill.

The blond samurai who walked behind the dark-haired sergeant had no rank insigne. He was probably a private. The soldier was slightly taller than the officer, but the child could tell that he was younger. This warrior was little more than a boy. But soldiers little more than children had committed grown up cruelties before. The six-year-old held her breath and remained as still as possible.

Then the dark sergeant did something very un-samurai when she crossed the threshold into the one-room peasant dwelling. She clapped her hand over the young private's crimson eyes, shouting "Don't look!"

The child knew the woman had seen her aunt and sergeant spoke into a radio. "Squad 1 to Commander! We've checked all houses. All clear, come in!"

Kyuuzou was annoyed when Sergeant Ayame whipped her free hand over his eyes, yelling, "Don't look!" What did she think he was? A child? This might be his first tour of duty but he had already watched his aunt and mother die bloody deaths before his very eyes. He did not even shed a tear then.

But now, Kyuuzou simply stood still for the moment and let his other senses do the seeing. He could smell the scent of death in the house. And there was also the scent of something more foul.

The child watched in terror as the keen-eyed sergeant scanned the house. The intruder's gaze came to rest on the loft. When the woman samurai narrowed her eyes, the child felt her heart leap into her mouth. But neither the child nor the woman moved. Another officer came into the house, followed by two more samurai. This officer was tall, pale-skinned, with blue-black hair. He said to the sergeant, "Put your hand down. He is a soldier. He can see whatever we see."

The sergeant dropped her hand from before the boy soldier's eyes. The young private's scarlet eyes traveled up to the beam of the house, lingered there for a second, and then went down to ground level again. His impassive expression did not shift for a moment.

Kyuuzou opened his red eyes to see what Ayame did not want him to see. Two peasants were dangling from the beam of the house, hung by their necks. One was a man who bore signs of torture. The other was a woman who bore signs of a different kind of torture. Blood was running down her legs. An overturned bench lay beneath her feet. She probably hung herself after the enemy samurai left, after the other farmer was already dead.

"Why?" That was the first question that came into the young soldier's mind. "Why? WHY? Are such deeds necessary to win a war?"

Surveying the brutal scene, Kyuuzou felt sick once more. This was even more horrific than what happened in his house when he was 10 years old. He never knew he could still feel sick after all he had seen. But no emotions broke through the surface of his stoic features. All the tears and the 'whys' in the world could not undo what had been done.

"It seems we have come late." Sergeant Ayame said to Lieutenant Tashiro Haruko.

"Any survivors?" Kyuuzou's grim-faced platoon commander surveyed in the sickening scene.

"Just one," Ayam jerked her head towards the loft. "Weak _ki_. I think it is a child."

The tall dark-eyed samurai looked up in the direction the hidden peasant. "Come down here. We won't hurt you."

The child did not show herself. Did not even move.

"I'll go get her/him," Ayame volunteered.

"No, I'll handle this," the Lieutenant said. "You take Squad 1 ahead and track the enemy. Radio me their location and numbers. If possible, do not engage them."

Ayame bowed to the platoon commander. She spun sharply on her heel and left, followed by the silent Kyuuzou. "Squad 1, moving out!" Third Sister's crisp voice echoed in the village of the dead.

Lieutenant Haruko spoke into her transmitter, "Sergeant Mizuho of Squad 2, come in!"

With rising apprehension, the peasant child watched the sergeant and the private leave. How did the samurai woman know she was there without even seeing her? What were the remaining samurai going to do now? Why did they want her to come down? What did they want with her?

The broad-shouldered lieutenant remained in the house with two of 'his' men, giving more orders. "Bring the couple down, and bury them properly. Tell Squad 3 to start digging a mass grave. But do not work them too hard. We may have to move out anytime."

The two samurai cut the ropes around the peasants' necks, while the commander's alert vision scanned the scene outside the house, occasionally glancing back up at the loft with cool obsidian eyes. Then another female officer entered. This one had warm brown skin and green hair.

"Heaven have mercy!" the new arrival cried out when she saw the horrific sight . All four samurai paused for a moment in oppressive silence. Then the woman added slowly, "This could be me, or my kin."

The commander whispered something to the newcomer. This green-eyed woman raised her head and spoke towards the loft in a gentle voice. "My name is Mizuho. I am from Mizuta Village in the West Sector. I swear by the graves of my farming ancestors that we will not hurt you. I will take you to a place of safety. Please come out."

The only response was silence. The samurai woman turned to her commander. "Lieutenant, if I might be so bold as to ask, could you step outside for a while?"

The commander nodded curtly, leaving with the two other samurai who were carrying the corpses out. Only the brown-skinned woman remained in the room. The green-eyed samurai started to sing a rice planting song. On other occassions it was a song of joyous labor, but today, it was sung like a dirge. When the peasant child saw a single tear roll down the placid face of the warrior woman, she began to sob.

Haruko was counting the minutes before Mizuho stepped out of the house with the peasant child in tow. The child immediately buried her face in the woman's back when she saw the samurai 'man'.

Without delay, the lieutenant asked. "How many were there? Platoon? Company?"

"She doesn't know." The sergeant replied.

"Did she see where they were headed?"

"No, she did not."

"We'll have to wait for Ayame-dono's report then." Haruko frowned slightly. "Did the witness tell you what happened here?"

"The child is the niece of the headman. She was playing in the loft when she heard screams and gunfire outside. The headman was about to step out to see what was happening when soldiers came in and accused them of supplying rice to our side. Beyond that, she has no more information."

Ayame's voice broke in over the radio. "Platoon-strength, half are human infantry with swords and short range firearms and the other half are Tobito. Raiden commander. They're now heading north in the direction of Komoku Pass."

The commander turned to one of the male soldiers. "Radio for backup from mecha unit." Then she shouted at the rest of the unit, "Platoon, get ready to move out!"

"Lieutenant, I have to take this one to safety. I promised." Mizuho spoke.

Not entirely pleased, the tall commander considered their options. It would be a disadvantage not to have one of the platoon's two best warriors for the upcoming battle, but a promise was a promise. Besides, they could not simply leave the child unattended in this place of death.

"Child, what is your name?" Haruko, having made up her mind, addressed the village's sole survivor. The peasant girl peeked out fearfully from behind the woman solider. Mizuho gave the child a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "It's all right, the Lieutenant won't harm you."

The pale-faced six year old finally stammered. "Kazumi."

The commander's tone was brusque. " Kazumi, be good and go with Mizuho-dono. You will be safe."

Mizuho bowed to Haruko and led Kazumi away. Mounting a fast turtle, the sergeant placed Kazumi before her in the saddle. They headed back towards camp with another Squad 2 samurai in escort.

Squad 1, having hidden itself behind the high boulders of Komoku Pass, awaited further orders from their sergeant. Standing next to his senpai, Kyuuzou heard Lieutenant Haruko's voice over Ayame's transmitter. "Mecha backup will be here shortly. We'll be joining you in 20 minutes. Prepare for an ambush."

"Yes, Lieutenant," Third Sister responded, "But what if the enemy gets here before you do?"

"If possible, don't engage them directly. Obstruct the road. Try to hold them until we arrive."

"Can Squad Two arrive ahead of the main force?"

"Squad Two is coming under my command. Sergeant Mizuho is heading back to base with the survivor." Big Sister answered over the radio. Ayame's lips turned down with dissatisfaction. Third Sister and Second Sister had always worked well together, both as squad commanders and as individual warriors. A battle without Mizuho's strength would be more difficult.

Kyuuzou, still shaken by what he saw in the village of the dead, focused on his breathing to calm himelf. Mother and Aunt had told him that he was the sole survivor of a farming village razed by the machine of war. The boy did not remember what happened in his home village. He was only two years old when the two passing women found him. But he knew this village's story could have easily have been his story. The young commoner-turned-soldier silently decided he was going to fight as well as Second Sister in this battle. To do what she would do if she were here. He would not fail. Could not fail.

* * *

Author's Comments As to what Kyuuzou saw in his house when he was 10 years old, see Retribution Chapter 10.A real world example of a female officer who outranked her brothers is Qin Liangyu (1574/84 - 1648), commander-in-chief of Sichuan Province, China. Her military career spanned 40 years at a chaotic time of internal strife and external threats. She was highly honored by the Emperor. Both her older brother and younger brother were officers serving under her. Her older brother Qin Banbing died in combat in 1621. 


	9. Merciless

**Warnings:** Violence

**Notes: **

- The people Kyuuzou refers to as his "sisters" are his Sensei's older students (senpai). Kyuuzou is 16 in this chapter. Ayame is 19-20ish, Mizuho is 23, Haruko is 31.

- In this ficverse, a squad has about 10 members. A platoon has about 4 squads.

* * *

Kyuuzou's squad, hidden on the bluff overlooking the road through Komoku Pass, was engaged in frenetic activity, trying to get the noisiest parts of their battle preparations out of the way before the enemy came within hearing distance. "Sadamitsu, Akira, Kazuya, Yoshiro! Check out the feasibility of causing a rock slide." Ayame had ordered. The soldiers nodded in assent, moving quickly and quietly to the outcropping of boulders some way up the rock ledge. Standing next to Kyuuzou, Sergeant Ayame kept an eye on the progress of their preparations while keeping a ear open for the sound of approaching enemy troops.

Kyuuzou's squadmate Akira returned shortly. "No loose boulders but we can cut some loose."

The sergeant radioed another squad member stationed further up the road. "Masahiko, any sign of the enemy approaching?"

"Not yet," answered the watcher.

The sergeant addressed Akira once more. "Block the road. Don't cut the rocks too cleanly. Try to make it look like a natural rock slide."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Akira turned to return to their waiting comrades.

Kyuuzou, watching the young man pick his way through the boulders, spoke to his commanding officer. "I'll go help Akira-kun."

The reserved samurai seldom volunteered to assist anyone. Kyuuzou minded his own business. But Akira was different. Akira was the sort of fellow who would not mind his own business, appointing himself sd the squad's one-person welcoming committee when Kyuuzou first arrived. Akira was effusively friendly to practically anybody, even to a new ashigaru of peasant background like Kyuuzou. Kyuuzou did not feel he needed that sort of treatment. He did not like the other youth. In general, Kyuuzou had no respect for chatty, jocular fellows who seemed to spend more time talking than thinking. But somehow Kyuuzou still felt obligated to aid his comrade at this critical time. At any rate, his offer to help Akira was refused.

"No, he does not need your help." Sergeant Ayame's tone left no room for argument. "You stay close to me."

Kyuuzou felt a familiar twinge of annoyance. Was his senpai still trying to protect him? Hadn't he already proven himself ten times over? Was he not good enough to act independently? But the young soldier kept his silence. This was not a good time to argue. Besides, there was never a good time to argue with Third Sister.

Two minutes later, Kyuuzou heard boulders cascading into the pass below. Once the rocks had settled, Sergeant Ayame spoke into her transmitter, "Squad 1, move into position!"

The column of Allied Forces Tobito and human samurai reached the narrowest point of Komoku pass to find the road blocked with rocks. With a grunt of annoyance, their Raiden commander raised its cannon and aimed it at the barrier. But the platoon's second-in-command, a human samurai, interrupted, "Please don't use the cannon, sir! It may cause another rock slide."

The Raiden grunted in impatient agreement, bringing forth a pair of giant clamps from its back compartment. With cautious haste, the robot began moving the rocks aside.

"Masahiko," Ayame whispered into her transmitter, "Is our main force here yet?"

"They're still at least 3 minutes away." Came the low reply.

Ayame pursed her lips. There was a chance that the Raiden could clear the barrier before Haruko senpai arrived with backup.

The last rock had been cleared by the Raiden. Kyuuzou and the squad sergeant observed the file of Tobito passing right under their vantage point on the cliff. "Squad 1, get ready for action!" Kyuuzou heard his officer's urgent order.

Then Third Sister turned to him and said, "Follow me! Stay close behind."

The woman jumped off the cliff, landing on the Tobito right below. Before it could sense her full weight, her feet had moved on.

Kyuuzou followed his senpai, who was running over the heads of the Tobito as lightly as a dragonfly would skim the surface of a pond. The enemy mecha did not even realize that Ayame had stepped on their heads before a second pair of feet was pattering over their metallic scalps like they were stepping stones. It had a slightly heavier step than the first, and felt a little shakier.

One tobito turned its head to see that this new pair of feet belonged a skinny Confederated Army samurai. This blond warrior was not very big, probably little more than a child. The mecha aimed its laser to fire at Kyuuzou but before it could discharge its laser eye, the rabbit-like robot fell to the ground, its legs cut out from under it. Other Squad 1 members had emerged from the boulders and rushed in, taking advantage of the distraction provided by Kyuuzou and his sergeant. Squad 1 slashed through the ranks of the Tobito. For once, Sadamitsu's height was an asset. He had the nimbleness and speed more typical of shorter fighters. Shuttling between the trampling Tobito, Kyuuzou's squad mate targeted the mechas' knee joints with rapid precision. Akira coordinated his efforts with his smaller comrade, speedily putting his sword through the laser eye of a Tobito that Sadamitsu had brought down, giving it no chance to fire.

Sergeant Ayame bounded off the last Tobito in line and was mid-leap, poised to strike at the Raiden commander. The large robot fired a volley of shells at her; she cleaved the first two shells in half mid-flight with of her twin swords. Third Sister was unscathed but had to change the direction of her trajectory to evade the subsequent shells. The Confederated Army officer, missing her planned landing place on the Raiden's head, skidded down its side instead. Before the robot could target her again, she spun behind it, keeping just under its floating feet. It was now difficult for the mecha to see her.

But this was a tricky game for a human fighter to play. While the Raiden could not strike her with its sword or turn its cannon on her, the Confederated Army soldier could be trampled anytime. But the Allied Forces robot, instead of bothering with the bothersome thing dancing under its feet, turned its attention to the samurai in front of it - a skinny blond private ...

Kyuuzou cleared the last Tobito in line with a flying leap, taking its head off with a parting back slash before he landed lightly the ground. Wasting no time cutting down the human foe who was about to discharge a gun at Yoshiro, the young samurai turned and swiftly finished another Tobito who was shooting at Kazuya. But in his haste to support his comrades, Kyuuzou did not see the Raiden samurai aim its cannon at him.

His sergeant rushed over, shoving him out of the way. The shell missed them both, exploding some distance away. Ayame flung herself over Kyuuzou, pushing him to the ground as she threw up an arm to shield herself. Some stray pieces of shrapnel ripped through her right arm. One piece lodged between her ribs, fortuituously not puncturing her lung. The Wolf Warrior jumped back on her feet almost immediately without a cry of pain. Kyuuzou followed in a split second. The smoke from the explosion had not yet cleared. For a moment, the two samurai were obscured from the Raiden's view, but they could still see its huge feet coming towards them.

"Boost me up!" Ayame shouted, blood staining her sleeve and side. The pale boy immediately cupped his hands and held them out. His senpai did a running jump, vaulted off Kyuuzou's outstretched palms and soared towards the Raiden. Tucking into a mid-air somersault to cover extra distance, the squad commander unfolded to jam her left sword into the Raiden's eye. The sergeant, giving off a ferocious battle roar that jarred the ears of both men and machines, slashed her way through the robot's brain. The Raiden collapsed.

After visually verifying that Ayame had landed in one piece, Kyuuzou rushed back into battle. With a swift swing of his blade, he gutted the man who was about to bring his sword down on the fallen Akira. But Kyuuzou had neither time nor space to tend to his fallen comrade. There were still too many foes encircling him. The numerical odds were stacked against Squad 1, a team of ten fighting against an enemy platoon of 40.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kyuuzou saw Sadamitsu battling two enemies some distance away, but he was not close enough to help his short comrade. Sadamitsu, caught between a human enemy with a gun and a Tobito with a laser eye, took a risk and rushed in on the human's blind side. Kyuuzou's short comrade grabbed the man's wrist and simultaneously slammed his sword handle into the other man's elbow joint. The enemy samurai's arm broke with a sickening crack. In one swift motion, Sadamitsu turned the soldier's incapacitated hand in the direction of the Tobito and pulled the trigger of the gun that the enemy was holding. The laser eye of the Jumping Rabbit mecha managed to shoot one beam just before the bullets shattered its head. Sadamitsu gave an oddly high pitched yelp of pain when that laser beam pierced his right shoulder. But his left hand instantly seized his sword from his right hand. The 5-foot-tall soldier pivoted in one smooth, economical move, cutting into the windpipe of the samurai whose arm he had broken.

Meanwhile, Kyuuzou's blades swept, circled, and swung, mowing down the foes around him, but there were still more coming at him, more he had to kill. "I need more speed, more skill, more power!" the urgent thoughts ran through the young warrior's head, even as his well-honed instincts ran on autopilot, clearing a bloody path for him . Just then Kyuuzou heard familiar battle cries behind them. Lieutenant Tashiro had arrived with the rest of their platoon. Sergeant Ayame let out an answering war cry, continuing the fight with one functioning arm. Masahiko cheered loudly as Squad 1 rallied and fought with renewed vigor.

After a hard but brief battle, Platoon 3 had killed all the enemy mecha. The few human foes left alive threw down their arms in surrender and were kneeling in defeat. But Ayame strode towards them with a steely glint in her eye. Kyuuzou followed right behind her.

As one of the surrendered soldiers lifted his head, he saw two pairs of eyes looking down at him - the topaz eyes blazed with hot fury, the ruby eyes shone with cold hatred. There was no mistaking their intent.

"You cannot kill surrendered soldiers," the samurai managed to stutter, "This is against the rules of war."

"And did you honor the rules of war when you tortured and slaughtered civilians in the village?" The dark-haired woman sneered. She turned to the peasants' son standing beside her.

"Private!" The sergeant's crisp voice rang out in the rocky pass. There was a flash of silver light. The enemy samurai's head fell to the ground. With an impassive face, Kyuuzou turned to the next kneeling man.

* * *

Author's Comments On the topic of a real-life female commander who was a flamboyant, energetic warrior, see the life of Liu Jinding, a 10th century Chinese general. Riding a red warhorse and wielding a golden saber, Liu Jinding was a flamboyant character who is alive and well in local memory even to this day. 


End file.
